


Gold and Metallic Red

by Mikkal



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, M/M, Nail Polish, cat eyeliner on point, it ends well promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-07
Updated: 2016-07-07
Packaged: 2018-07-22 01:48:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7413802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikkal/pseuds/Mikkal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>No one can know he likes painting his nails.</p>
  <p>And, so far, it’s working. No slip ups.</p>
  <p>Of course, up until recently, he didn’t have a superhero for a best friend. A superhero best friend who can vibrate through walls and forgets sometimes that <i>it’s rude to not knock, damn it, Barry!</i></p>
</blockquote>
            </blockquote>





	Gold and Metallic Red

Cisco is comfortable.

He’s got Star Wars playing, his hair tired in a low bun, a beer sweating on his coffee table, his most worn, feel-good sweat pants on, and the deepest gold nail polish he could find drying on his right hand.

He has to refrain from blowing his nails dry and is content with just sitting there, watching John Boyega and Daisy Ridley run around on the sandy Jakku.

When he wakes up tomorrow he’s going to scrub off the nail polish with acetone. He could use non-acetone remover for the health of his nails, but it takes longer and he wakes up late often enough that it’s not reliable. If he paints his nails then remove it only hours later about once a week then he doesn’t really worry about their health. It’s not a big deal.

After being mercilessly mocked for liking nail polish when he was ten by Dante, keeping his like for pretty nails a secret became a Must Do Constantly. No one may know, even when he looks down sometimes while he’s typing and feels that little hollow part of himself when he sees his nails bare. No one can know he likes painting his nails.

And, so far, it’s working. No slip ups.

Of course, up until recently, he didn’t have a superhero for a best friend. A superhero best friend who can vibrate through walls and forgets sometimes that _it’s rude to not knock, damn it, Barry!_

“Dude, nice!” he says, eyeing the scene on the television. “I had to skip out halfway through my viewing for an apartment fire. I forgot it came out on DVD yesterday.”

He doesn’t even seem to notice Cisco there, frozen, brush in hand to start on his left hand. Cisco’s heart is hammering wildly in his chest, his stomach rolls. Oh no, he’s gonna be sick. No, no. No one is suppose to find out. _Especially Barry_.

Barry who is dorky and is half-the-time socially inept, yeah, but he’s still that guy who could look down on him and cease being his friend because of _nail polish_. Cisco’s had it happen before. Perfectly good engineers and Star Wars nerds just _dropped_ him the moment they learned, and none of them were as awesome as Barry is. He’d hate to lose Barry as a friend.

His breathing’s gone shallow as Barry shrugs off his jacket and wanders over to the fridge to grab a beer. He pops off the top and plops down on the couch next to him, leaning back to rest his shoe-less feet on the edge of the coffee table.

Barry grins at him, his eyes getting all squinty like they do when he’s not lying about his happiness. “What?”

Cisco swallows thickly. “You…uh…”

He reaches over for Cisco’s Basket of Goods. “Got any metallic red? Iris never had _metallic_ red, just normal red. I like metallic.”

 Cisco snorts, surprising himself. “Why am I not surprised? And, yeah, I’ve got metallic red.”

 “Excceeelllent,” Barry says. He hums as he rummages around, looking for the color he wants. He cheers when he finds it, holding it up like the Olympic Torch. “ _Awesome_.”

Cisco nearly cries when Barry starts painting his own nails, concentrating hard with the tip of his tongue between his teeth. Barry gets only his thumb done, one layer, when Cisco closes his eyes, the first tear falls and he nearly sobs.

Hands cup his cheeks, brushing away the tear before it gets too far. Cisco opens his eyes slowly to see Barry looking at him intently, gaze soft.

“When Iris was thirteen she thought about being a manicurist and wanted practice. I offered to be the guinea pig. Turns out I liked having nice nails.” He smiles gently. “I don’t always go for colors; I just get a clear coat most of the time. It was enough to know I have something there even if I can’t see it.”

“I thought you would hate me,” Cisco says, voice wobbly.

Barry laughs softly. “You’re talking to a guy who likes to wear a full face of make-up in the comfort of his own home. I would never make fun of you. Make-up and nail polish is for everyone. It’s ridiculous to think we can’t wear it comfortably too.”

 “…you would look good in eyeliner,” is the only thing Cisco can think of.

“ _Ha_!” Barry throws his head back. “I look _gorgeous_ in eyeliner. You don’t don’t even know. Iris helped me get my cat-eye on _point_.”

He drags his thumb over Cisco’s cheek again. “We’re missing the Millennium Falcon scene,” he whispers, the corner of his lips twitching up.

Cisco laughs, slightly congested. “Can’t do that now, can we? And I still need to do my left hand.”

“My thumb is looking lonely.”

“Now that’s just weird, way to go.”

 “You know what? Fight me.”


End file.
